Mind. Body. Soul.

Good Afternoon!

The weekend of August 4-6 was so fun and I'm sad that it is over. The end of the weekend means Dave has to return to work and he's on mandatory overtime. We went to Indianapolis and visited some of our favorite people. Dillinger slept the entire trip to Indy like a champ. On Saturday we went to Allysa and Chris' new home. It's so adorable and their home décor was absolutely perfect. 

All of us went to dinner at Fire By the Monon after catching up at the house for a while. Dave and I shared two appetizers: pulled pork macaroni and cheese and pulled pork nachos lol. In addition, I had a side salad and a Damascene Apricot Sour Ale by Tin Man Brewing Company. Dillinger did such a good job while Dave wore him in the Happy Baby Carriers wrap.

After dinner we returned to Allysa's home and talked for a while before heading to bed. It was the perfect night of catching up with beautiful people.

On Sunday we left Allysa's and met up with our cousins Valerie and Bennett for bagels at Ripple Bagel & Deli in Broadripple. That place is a MUST every time we visit Indy. I had the Gagagabor with gouda instead of cheddar on a jalapeno bagel. Dave had the Indy 500 on an apple bagel. We were feeling adventurous. Valerie and Bennett are the sweetest souls and we had a great time catching up and talking parenthood. Bennett just gets bigger and more intelligent every time we see him. Next, we went to Three Dog Indy and bought Chopper dog popcorn (basically popcorn without kernels), a hot dog shaped treat, a "woofie pie", and a dog donut. He's super spoiled.

After shopping around, Dave and I split from Val and Bennett and went to REI to visit Val's wife and our other cousin, Michelle. Dave walked in and immediately said, "I could live here." We were there for around 1.5 hours and found a few items that we liked. It was so nice to see Michelle and show Dillinger to her as well.

Finally, we went to Trader Joe's and stoked up on foods we can't find in Fort Wayne. I could live there.

After returning to Fort Wayne, we went to Dave's parents' home for a birthday dinner for Dave. He turned 28 years old yesterday! Dave's mom made a delicious dinner of basked ziti, garlic bread, Casa's salad, and cheesecake. It was so nice to see his family. Little Juniper was asleep most of the evening and Dillinger was a grumpy Gus.

Overall, it was the perfect, chill weekend where we were around people and places we adore. Dillinger is completely portable and I can't wait to do more weekend trips with my love.

In the car on the way home I texted Valerie asking if she knew of any good counselors in Fort Wayne. She gave me the name of one she likes and gave me the website https://www.psychologytoday.com/. I've honestly been interested in seeing a counselor for years, but the cost and the thought, "What will I even talk about?" when so much causes me to feel anxious kept me from following through. However, now that my societal role, my relationship with Dave, my body, my priorities in life, and my goals have changed I feel the strong need to see a professional to navigate everything. I also feel the need to talk with a professional about how to manage my emotions returning to work and not having many options to work part time or to stay at home in the future due to insurance and student loans. I've emailed a therapist to set up a consultation.

Another huge milestone in my parenting journey is that I pumped for the first time! I made it a goal to start August 7th because Dillinger just turned a month old on the 6th and that will give us 8 whole weeks to create a stockpile of milk and introduce a bottle to Dillinger. It would be nice to have more freedom to let Dave feed the baby or to travel in an easier manner. Just from pumping after feeding Dillinger on just the left side I produced a little over 1.5 ounces of milk, which is amazing! I love the Spectra S2 Plus pump and how gentle it is. I had no pain or discomfort at all. From pumping Dillinger on the right and left side I produced a little over 1.5 ounces of milk as well. I think I tried to pump too soon after feeding Dillinger, so I'm going to try to wait a full 30 minutes or more after his feeds to pump. My left breast is definitely my top producer! I would definitely recommend using a nipple cream before pumping to prevent any soreness.

More updates to come! Have a great night, ya'll!

XOXO,

Lauren